MIXED REACTIONS

In Achin village, about 3 miles (5 km) from the remote, mountainous area where the bomb was dropped, witnesses said the ground shook, but homes and shops appeared unaffected.

Qari Mehrajuddin first saw “lightning like a thunder storm” followed by the roar of an explosion, an all-tofamiliar sound for residents of the war-torn area.

“I thought there was a bombing just outside my home,” he said. In reality, the blast was around three miles away, its massive impact bigger than any before seen in the region.

Some locals welcomed the strike. “If you want to destroy and eliminate Daesh, then even if you destroy my home we won’t complain, because they are not human beings, they are savages,” said Mir Alam Shinwari, using an Arabic term for Islamic State.

Away from Achin, reactions were mixed. “The fact is that America used their big bomb here to test its effectiveness,” said Kabul resident Asadullah Khaksar. “If America wants to eliminate Daesh, it is very easy because they created this group.”

Residents of Achin said they had got used to seeing militants climbing up and down the mountain, making occasional visits to the village.

“They were Arabs, Pakistanis, Chinese and local insurgents coming to buy from shops in the bazaar,” said Raz Mohammad.